US Nitrogen Violated Permit Conditions

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

US Nitrogen violated the terms of one of its state permit for six days in a row due to an overflow in one of its retention ponds, the company has reported.
In a letter sent Monday to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, US Nitrogen Plant Manager Dylan Charles said the overflows started on Feb. 20 and continued for the next six days, ending on the date of the letter. He said the company was not yet sure of how to prevent a recurrence.
Charles told TDEC the overflows were first discovered at 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 20 and lasted until 2:15 p.m. on Monday.
He said the overflows in the North Retention Pond were triggered by "days of excessive rain."
He wrote that the company recorded the levels of ammonia and nitrates in the retention pond on the days of the overflows. The ammonia levels recorded ranged from 5.2 parts per million to 8.5 parts per million.
The levels of nitrates in the spillover water ranged from 8.4 parts per million to a high of 11 parts per million. The pH level (a measure of acidity) of the spillover water ranged from 7.46 to 7.87.
"The routine operation of the the retention pond is to keep the level low, approximately 15 to 20 percent, to reduce the the occurrence of a non-complying discharge," Charles wrote in the letter to Brian Carter of TDEC.
He added that the company monitors the weather and the retention pond levels several times per day "to ensure the pond has sufficient freeboard for rain events."
He said that normally the company pumps liquid from the retention pond to the raw water pond "for re-use or to the effluent ponds for discharge to Outfall 001."
He added that during the recent overflows "the water was being pumped continuously to reduce the amount of un-permitted flow."
But, he wrote, the company's permit limits the amount of retention pond water that can be transported to the effluent ponds.
"Furthermore, the amount of stormwater that was entering the retention pond was in excess of the amount of water that could be transported to the effluent or raw water ponds due to pipe and pump limitation," Charles wrote.
He said the company was "evaluating options to re-direct the stormwater runoff from outside the production area away from the retention pond."

Thallium in Nolichucky Puzzle Continues

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Tennessee environmental officials say they have yet to identify the source of a potentially deadly chemical found in the the Nolichucky River, but there are no plans to do any further testing.
"A source has not been identified, but we have no evidence at this time to demonstrate any public health concerns," wrote Kim Schofinski, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, in an email response to questions.
The presence of thallium in the eastern Tennessee river was reported by US Nitrogen in a recent filing with TDEC.
The company reported that water it discharged into the river had 10.3 parts per billion of thallium. That is some three times the level recommended for drinking water.
Subsequent tests by TDEC showed no detectable levels of thallium in the river, according to state officials
US Nitrogen pumps millions of gallons per month from the river for use in the manufacture of ammonium nitrate. Excess amounts of that water are discharged back into the river at milemarker 20.8.
Though the Nolichucky is a source of water for local consumers, officials of the Greeneville Water Commission say annual tests they performed showed no traces of thallium. The commission draws its water some 37 miles upstream of the US Nitrogen discharge point.
US Nitrogen officials have not responded to a series of questions about the test results, the level of thallium in the water the company draws from the river or how the company extracts thallium from the river water.
When first questioned about the data the company submitted to the state, Kim Ryans, an environmental expert for US Nitrogen said,"The US Nitrogen facility does not use thallium or substances containing thallium as a component of any manufacturing processes."
"The water sampled and discharged to the Nolichucky River does not come into direct contact with US Nitrogen’s processes," she added.
Schofinski said that while the agency has no current plans to do any further testing, "we will continue to monitor this issue closely."
She said that the agency has not requested any additional documentation from US Nitrogen "specific to thallium."
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "Thallium can affect your nervous system, lung, heart, liver, and kidney if large amounts are eaten or drunk for short periods of time. Temporary hair loss, vomiting, and diarrhea can also occur and death may result after exposure to large amounts of thallium for short periods."
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US Nitrogen Reports Higher Nolichucky Use

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

The use of water from the Nolichucky River by a Greene County chemical firm climbed in January to more than 11 million gallons, according to a report filed with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
The report filed by US Nitrogen LLC today showed the firm pumped 11.9 million gallons from the waterway in January, up from 10.8 million gallons in December but lower than the 18.6 million reported in November.
The monthly report was filed as TDEC approved the transfer of a key permit from US Nitrogen to Praxair, a producer of liquefied carbon dioxide. Praxair operates on the same multi-acre Midway site and utilizes carbon dioxide produced by US Nitrogen in the production of ammonium nitrate.
Under the permit Praxair is limited to producing no more than 90.8 tons of liquified carbon dioxide in any 12 month period.
Praxair, which serves the beverage industry, must maintain detailed records on the amount of carbon dioxide it receives from US Nitrogen and the amount it then ships in liquefied form to its customers, according to the permit.
Initially the permit to operate a carbon dioxide liquefaction facility was granted to US Nitrogen, but a transfer was requested recently citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling and policy changes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The transfer of ownership in the permit was effective on June 29 of last year, according to the renewal notice.
The monthly river report filed by US Nitrogen shows the company discharged 5.9 million gallons of wastewater back into the river. The discharge point is at mile marker 20.8 on the river.
The report shows that US Nitrogen pumped in excess of 700,000 gallons of water from the river on 13 days of the month with the highest total coming on Jan. 28. On Jan. 10 no water was drawn from the Nolichucky.
On six days during January the company did not discharge any wastewater into the river.
The January discharge total was down from the 6.2 million gallons discharged in December.
The monthly river use reports are required under the state's permit.
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New River Tests Show No Thallium

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

By Walter F. Roche Jr.New

New tests conducted on samples from the Nolichucky River show no traces of a chemical that can cause severe illness and even death, according to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
The tests, which were conducted on samples gathered at various spots along the river, found that if any thallium was present it was below detectable levels.
The new tests appear to contradict a report filed recently with TDEC showing thallium levels some three times the levels considered safe in drinking water.
n that report the Greene County company reported that water it had discharged into the Nolichucky contained 10.3 parts per billion of thallium. The company discharge pipe is at mile marker 20.8 of the river.
The new tests included samples gathered at mile markers 20.7 and 20.9. The new results appear to coincide with annual tests conducted by the Greeneville Water Commission, which found no traces of thallium. Those tests were some 57 miles upstream of US Nitrogen
Despite the conflicting results TDEC has no immediate plans to conduct further tests.
"TDEC has no current plans to conduct additional sampling, but we will continue to monitor this issue closely," said Kim Schofinski, TDEC spokeswoman.
Officials of US Nitrogen did not respond to requests for comment on the new results
US Nitrogen pumps millions of gallons of water per year from the Nolichucky which it uses in the manufacture of ammonium nitrate.
In an email response to prior questions, Kim Ryans, a US Nitrogen environmental official, said
"US Nitrogen does not use thallium or substances containing thallium as a component of any manufacturing processes."
"The water sampled and discharged to the Nolichucky River does not come into direct contact with US Nitrogen’s processes," she added.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com